The Cough Part 2 (Remake)
by SpazzieBunnie
Summary: A continuation of The Cough that I wanted to make since it was swimming in my head for quite some time (WARNING: Contains graphic blood and gore and major character deaths. You have been warned.) (This remake is based off of Ebon Mane's story The Cough)


In the darkness, somepony coughed.

Twilight turned around to face the door as she heard that sound. That warning sound. Yet was only met with the closed door and boarded up windows. She could see slightly thanks to the blood still on her gas mask lens. She turned to her right to see a clean rag on the floor. She quickly used her magic to pick it up and wipe each of the lens until the red splatter was off and her vision was fully clear. She even took the opportunity to start to wipe and scrub the blood on her violet colored fur. She trotted slowly as she was looking around. Again, she heard the cough. It sounded like it was upstairs.

The house had an upstairs and a downstairs. The Mane 6 had started to organize since the outbreak. Twilight and Rainbow Dash stayed in the living room, Rarity and Fluttershy downstairs in the basement, and Applejack and Pinkie Pie upstairs. So two possibilities went through the purple pony's mind.

Could it be Applejack or Pinkie Pie she has to kill?

Wait, no not kill! Twilight could try to fight with her sanity breaking mind but this was more important. She had to make sure that this is just a coincidence. No way would her friends turn. They have the elements of Harmony. They are powerful together. With a quick muffled breath, Twilight started to trot over to the steps and each step on the stairs she was being quiet and slow. The only noise to be heard in this house was that sickly coughing.

Halfway up the steps and Twilight still was thinking of what to do. She would do something. She had to. Her best friend was counting on her. Whoever was the sick one anyways. Twilight would find a cure, save the town, and save everypony from this cursed plague. She had to. It was her job to save her friends. To save everypony.

Her hooves were close to the top. The sounds of a sick pony was still being heard. Coughing. It grew louder in the mask covered ears of Twilight. Her heart was starting to pound hard again. It was starting to make the pony shake and feel terror again. She had to be brave for her friends. Mainly to her friend in need.

She had to repeat that in her head. Friendship. Because she rather help her friend than to end another life and add more disappointment to her mentor.

She made it upstairs. To her left was just an empty hallway with a boarded up window. So that was clear. To her right was three doors. Two on the left and one on the right. Twilight right away saw that the door on the right was ajar. Also the sound of coughing fits continued and was coming from that door so it clearly was obvious where it was coming from. Again, the purple mare moved forward. She could feel herself quietly breath heavy. With every step she took, her heart pounded heavy and starting to feel the sweat slide on to her cheek. Her eyes fixated onto the door as it started to grow bigger as she got closer.

With her face by the door, she was ready to see the inside. The coughing started to be louder and sounding more muffled. Not just because of the gasmask. Twilight opened the door ever so easily to not create a squeaking sound. The room started to slowly appear in the eyes of the smart mare. The door kept going until Twilight managed to stop it after she witnesses the content in the room.

Her eyes that were full of worry but hope was starting to drain out the worrisome and hopefulness. Only fear and horror was starting to fill in those purple eyes from what she paired witness.

In the room were two ponies. The one who's back was facing Twilight was easily recognizable to her. It was Fluttershy. The kind and shy pony who was sitting down with her head appearing to be down. The noise of the cough was easily traceable. Fluttershy has the Cough. But that wasn't what made Twilight be still as stone. Around Fluttershy was blood and a bit of organs showing. The glistening small intestines were torn and tossed aside like it was nothing. Bite marks on the legs of the devoured pony. That pony was AppleJack. Her face showing of horror and disbelief. The same could almost be said for Twilight who still was watching Fluttershy dig her face deep into the torn open stomach and eating quickly before her cough fits could prevent her from swallowing down her chewed up food.

Twilight saw part of AJ's legs twitching. She looked to the green eyes of the farmer pony to see that barely, and somehow, she was still alive. Having to see her own body being torn apart and feeling every bite and tug and cough inside of her stomach by the pony she was best friends with. With Applejack spitting up blood, it was clear she wasn't gonna make it. With her muttering out her last breath towards the watching pony.

"Twilight..r..run." AJ could only mutter it as she was starting to cough up more blood. As she was, Fluttershy stopped chewing as the sound of munching was halted. She brought her face up with grace as her pink mane was stained by red liquid. She started to get up as Twilight could only still watch with her heart feeling like it stopped beating. Her mind trying to speak to her to move. Yet the lavender mare could only look forward as slowly the once shy and loving looked over to Twilight. Not as a friend, but as her new meal. A new pony to infect. The eyes of Fluttershy was pretty much telling a story about her. One eye is up and bleeding out blood. The other was staring at Twilight. Trying to fight off looking up, Even making the bloodshots on that same eye trying to intervene and force her to roll her pupil up. She was trying to fight it.

Twilight managed to snap back into the world as she quickly used her magic to grab the doorknob and shut the door hard and fast. She twisted the lock to keep the door locked tight as she started to run down the hall. As she was making it to the stairs she heard the thuds of the pony she cared about starting to try to escape. To devour her and her friends.

"Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Where are you guys?!" Twilight screamed out with the mask still attached to her face as she was trotting down the stairs quickly. She hops over two of them as she runs down to the kitchen with her looking around. "Guys?!" She looked to the right of her, to see the messes of a table flung but yet her main focus was the wooden door. The door that leads to the basement. She immediately headed towards it as she used her magic to open it wide and stood in front of the doorway to look down the dim lighted area.

"Is anypony down there?" Twilight could muster out. She had to save the rest of her friends. It would be cold hearted to leave them if just one was able to still be alive. Again, she spoke up. "Rainbow? Pinkie? Rarity?" She spoke up their names again to see if anything could catch her attention. Still all she could hear was that muffled sound of Fluttershy banging her body against that only line of defense, the wooden door.

Twilight was getting worried. She could go down, but what if it leads to a trap? What if the Cough has mutated and made them smart? She could walk in and then get eaten alive and turned. She didn't want to break both of Celestia's promise now. She was going to call out again. If there is no answer, then she had to leave and say her friends didn't make it. What was she thinking? She really wouldn't leave her friends. It was nothing but survival talking down to her.

She called out one last time. "Anypo-" her words were cut off by the quick speed of wings flapping and seeing a cyan blue pony rushing towards her and having to bump into the lavender mare. They both fell with a thud as Twilight quickly looked over to her shoulder to see. It was Rainbow Dash. Her fears started to go away as she saw how quick and how healthy the pony was. No bite marks nor signs of coughing.

"Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shouted with worry as she went over to lend a helping hoof. Twilight grabs it and gets up with help from Rainbow.

"Where is Pinkie and Rarity?" Twilight asked in a worried tone.

"Pinkie Pie is somewhere and R..Rarity is-" Her words were cut off by the sound of a loud groan and big cough coming from downstairs. Twilight knew what she was going to say. Yet wanted to stay on the same subject as she closed and locked the door. That's two times Twilight had to lock doors to keep her and her infected friends separated.

"How did this happen?" Twilight asked the important question to Rainbow since Twilight was gone for a solid hour.

Rainbow Dash seemed confused, but still had the look of somepony that knew what happened, just dazed about how it all went down. "Well for some reason, Rarity was tossing around the stuff in crying rage and she just ran outside the bubble and was going to scream. Fluttershy went out and stopped her and was dragging her in the house."

So that was how they got infected. Rarity clearly seemed unfit for a while. Barely showing up and appearing to eat. Something must have ate her up. They all tried to talk to her to understand but she always pushed away and wanted time to herself. Instead of pushing, we just letted her be. But Rarity leaving, seemingly ready to die and having her unknowingly kill her friends in the process. It was just unbelievable to hear.

"She was sick and I went down and she just...just turned. I was hiding until she started to hear you. I had to distract her to get up here." She looked around to see it was only just Twilight. "Where's Fluttershy and AJ?"

Twilight, through the mask, frowned. She didn't like to be the bearer of bad news. Yet the bad news was truthful. She couldn't lie to her friend. "Rainbow...Fluttershy turned and she-" She had to spare the details for the sake of Rainbow. "She killed Applejack."

Rainbow's eyes started to widen and her mouth slightly a gap. She felt terrified. Yet so sad. "N-no. It can't be true...no...n-no way."

"I'm sorry Rainbow." The two mares hugged each other tightly. With Rainbow just feeling like she wanted to cry. To burst into tears and keep hold of the pony she was holding closely. Yet there was no time. She kept hugging Twilight, looking at the door.

Rainbow Dash knew the door wouldn't hold. "We gotta get out of here."

The two ponies stopped as Rainbow Dash goes to the kitchen sink as she opens a cabinet by the upper left side. Pulling out what shows to be a spare gas mask with air filter. She putted it on without hesitation.

Twilight looked around the mess to see if there was a gas mask to spare. During her travels, she would find and pick up and disinfect gas masks from different places. In total, she found six for her and her friends.

"Pinkie Pie putted hers up in her room." The rainbow maned pony said as Twilight quickly nods and runs off towards the steps again. This time with a new companion by her side.

As the two went over to the steps, a loud shriek was heard. The sound was very familiar. "Pinkie!" The two shouted as they rushed up the stairs while the screaming of the pink pony continued. In seconds they make it up the stairs to look over their shoulders to witness Pinkie having to be pinned against the wall by both Fluttershy and Applejack. The yellow pony was sinking her teeth into the neck of the party loving pony with her arm leg being bitten and ripped apart by the once good honest farm pony now bloodthirsty infected pony with no control of her actions.

"NO!" Rainbow shouted with anger booming out of her voice. She looked at the corner of her eye to see a crafted wooden chair. In an instant, she grabbed the top of the chair with her wing and as she ran over to the two ponies trying to have the pink mare as their next meal, she grabbed the chair with her two front hooves and swung right on to Fluttershy. The yellow pegasus mare being flung back and having AJ fall down with her as Pinkie fell to her side and writhing in pain as tears flowed down her eyes. The chair was still stable enough as Fluttershy was getting back up on her hooves. Still willing to infect and eat anypony in contact.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash shouted within the mask, having no walls to hold her back. She swung the chair again right on top of the yellow pony's head. The chair broke into pieces. One of the legs falling and rolling beside Twilight. One of the other legs broke in half, the broken half of it having to be next to the downed and bleeding Fluttershy. Rainbow saw no hesitation with what she had to do. She grabbed the sharp stick that was once a chair leg with her wing. With in a matter of seconds she plunged the sharp end deep into the side of Fluttershy's head. Stabbing right through the cranium and having it to be a quick painless death with blood squirting out of the clogged wound and having the once yellow clean walls be covered in blood and being on the unclean dirt and dust covered walls.

Rainbow panted heavily and shaking like as she just stared down into the rolled up eyes that dare stared back at her. Before she could even feel any remorse or guilt, AJ comes up and coughing up blood with her attitude still determined to infect the closest pony. That one being of Rainbow Dash.

Twilight saw the standoff. She couldn't bare to watch the chance of Rainbow being bit and her having to leave or even kill the both of them. She looked down to her hooves. That dreaded weapon was still there. Telling her in secret whispers to do it. To save one life, the other must perish. Twilight kept looking as Rainbow Dash was yelling at AppleJack to not move any closer otherwise she would end the life of the pony she once loved and cared for.

Twilight took breaths. Deep ones. Her mind was starting to think of her next actions. What road would she take? Have one friend lives or have the chance of losing them all? She had to make a choice now or the future will grow dark for her. With her final breath, her mind was clear.

"MOVE ASIDE RAINBOW DASH!" Twilight shouted in the mask as loudly as her lungs could as she charged at AJ with the stick floating by her side thanks to her magic. It glowed lightly a purple aura as she rushed as the rainbow pony moved aside with Twilight swishing the heavy chair leg and having to bash it against the orange pony's jaw.

AJ twitch slightly as if her body could still sense the pain. Her jaw dislocated and looking close to being ripped off if another swing had to take place. Gargling and coughing was all that she could let out of her wide opened broken mouth. Another swing and her head was busted open and letting out tons of metallic dark blood within seconds. With one step forward coming right towards Twilight, The lavender pony did one final swing. With that, the head of AJ turned to the point of where a loud crunch could be heard. Sounding like twigs being broken at once combined with the loud thud of dead weight falling against the hardwood flooring.

Twilight panted heavily. Not because she used her magic so much. It was the fact that she was out of breath since she didn't want to cry. Or beg. Or even plead for AJ to stop. She had to do it. It was too late for her. Rainbow looks over to Pinkie, who is sitting down and laying her back against the wall. The wounds being deep and oozing out blood a lot.

"No Pinkie! Not you too!" Rainbow could only say before a loud crashing sound came from downstairs. The loud coughing and gagging was clearly from Rarity. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other. "You go take care of Rarity. I'll...deal with P-Pinkie Pie."

Twilight wasn't stupid nor naive enough to not understand what she meant. She wanted to just stop Rainbow. To defend Pinkie Pie who was coughing up blood and starting to look week. She could practically tell that bloodshots were starting to appear on those innocent eyes getting close to her pink pupils. The purple mare ran down the stairs with the stick still floating to her side as she looked down to have a quick easy view of the kitchen. Rarity knocking over things and coughing loudly and sickly. Having to have blood trickling out of her open wound on her forehead where her horn was. It looked as if she head butted the door so hard the horn broke off during the process, thus causing so much blood to seep out of her painful looking wound.

"I'm sorry Rarity." Twilight could spark up with conversation as Rarity looks at her. The same eyes staring at her. She didn't feel so scared. Not even feeling so much guilt over what she had to do. She had to survive. To live long enough to create a cure so no pony could ever bare witness to killing a loved one. Like she is doing right now. She charges forward as Rarity raises a hoof towards her as if she was trying to grab her. Or merely stopping her. Neither worked as the heavy wooden chair leg slammed right at her throat to which knocked back the white unicorn.

Rarity fell hard onto a couple of broken dishes. Coughing loudly and having to still have the need to get up as quick as possible. Twilight wouldn't let her. A couple of steps over to Rarity and Twilight kept going on hitting the body and face of the infected mare with such rough and angry like posture. The blood splattering on her mask and fur. This wasn't like the first pony she killed. No, this was different. It was more harder. More bloodier. She was smashing the skull open and exposing the brain. Even having the brain turn into mashed mush of pink substance mixed with blood. Even the eyes were squished and torn like the skull. Twilight couldn't stop. She was panting heavily as her mind felt light as a pillow feather. Slowly she started to stop as the magic started to go away and the levitating chair leg fell onto the ground next to the bloody, disturbing, and mashed up head that was once the most beautifulest pony in Ponyville. Now a grizzly mess.

Twilight took her steps back as she felt herself slightly shaking. Not of fear. Not of regret. It was just...exhausting. To make sure that Rarity couldn't stand up. Couldn't bite others. Couldn't eat anyone else. She was shaking because of her what if scenarios running her head like some broken record. She heard hoofsteps as she looked over to her shoulder to see Rainbow Dash walking down the stairs. As she made it down she quickly took notice of the new look of Twilight. The same being said with Rainbow.

They both had red on them. Rainbow Dash's back hooves being the most bloodiest. From her fetlocks down to her thighs, they had blood all over. It was clear that Dash had strong legs. Her bucks were close to AJ's since she took care of her body a lot. So it was safe to say that Pinkie Pie had perished, and thankfully is staying down to prevent herself from killing and turning ponies into coughing monsters.

The two mares just looked at each other. No words. No sound coming from either of them. Both bloody and both having to kill two of their best friends. Both survivors. They just looked into their mask's lens until the broke their focus to look over at the front door. With a quick look back to themselves and a little nod in union, they turned and walked towards the door. Twilight opening the door with her magic as she was the first to go out with Rainbow following her lead. They go to the outside. The gray clouds still covering the sky and to prevent the town from seeing sun or white clouds or anything that seems to fill hope. They see the magic bubble still intact. Yet, it felt unnecessary now. That house is filled with nothing but gruesomely killed corpses that were once citizens of Ponyville.

The two mares looked to see the streets were empty for now. Only the wind to keep company for the two broken down ponies. No birds. Not a pony in sight. Only the breeze flowing through their fur and manes that was cool yet lively to the mares. But mainly, hearing the wind was like soft melody music. Almost like opera.

The wind was their only sound to their ears in their masks.

Until somepony coughed.


End file.
